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After Swedes ranked first in the EU for their approach to immigrants, The Local chats to Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag about how the face of immigration has changed, and how Sweden manages the influx of Syrian refugees.

A report released this week revealed that an EU-high 91 percent of Swedes thought that "immigrants contribute a lot to Sweden". That figure represented the highest score of all EU countries, where the average was 48 percent.

The news left Sweden's Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag beaming.

"This is a positive result, fantastic actually," he told The Local on Friday. "It means Sweden and Swedish people have become more used to immigration."

And there has been a lot for Swedes to get accustomed to, the minister accepted, with Sweden's foreign-born population jumping from 3 percent in the 1950s to over 15 percent today.

He said that nowadays, foreigners enjoy an easier transition to Sweden and that Swedes play a helping hand.

"You can see it in the work places, people are getting more used to foreigners and have a more positive attitude. There are many places in Europe, many with similar populations as Sweden, with far worse results."

The minister said Sweden’s table topping score was a direct result of the government's leadership.

"I think Sweden's political leadership has been crystal clear on the notion of openness, tolerance, and standing up for diversity. And of course, that influences the attitudes among the citizens, especially compared to several other European countries that have a different tone when it comes to integration. I think [in those countries] it boils down to a lack of political leadership,” he said.

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